Texas football gets quick burst WR in 4-Star DeAndre Moore Jr.

The saga is finally over for the 2023 Texas football recruiting class and the highly touted four-star St. John Bosco wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. Head coach Steve Sarkisian and wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator Brennan Marion pulled off a big flip by getting Moore from the Louisville Cardinals on the evening of Dec. 22.

Moore originally pushed his Early National Signing Day decision that was supposed to happen on the morning of Dec. 21. He didn’t show up to St. John Bosco’s signing day ceremony on Dec. 21. But Texas still remained confident in this recruitment after Moore stuck with his commitment to Louisville on the first signing day.

Texas then eventually won the day by pulling off the flip of Moore from Louisville, which is one of the finishing touches on the 2023 class.

Moore announced on his Twitter timeline on the night of Dec. 22 that he would be flipping from Louisville and officially signing with Texas.

Moore is now the third wide receiver signee in the Longhorns 2023 class coming out of the second signing day. And this gives the Longhorns some critical depth at a position of need in the 2023 class.

Texas football gets quick burst playmaker in 4-Star WR DeAndre Moore Jr.

Marion and Sark were pretty relentless in this recruitment for the last few months. Moore became a huge priority for the Longhorns after missing on the incredibly talented four-star Longview wide receiver Jalen Hale to the Alabama Crimson Tide in September.

Texas made a big move with Moore during his official visit to Austin on Nov. 12. From then on out, the Longhorns continued to push the right buttons with Moore, leading to a surprise visit last weekend.

It felt like the surprise unofficial visit that Moore took to Austin last weekend pre-signing day was the finishing touch on this recruitment. Yet, new head coach Jeff Brohm and Louisville made things interesting on the first signing day. Louisville pushed until the very end with Moore, almost leading him to stick with the Cardinals.

So, what is Texas getting out of the 6-foot and 190-pound blue-chip California wideout Moore?

Moore might be the most versatile wide in the Longhorns 2023 class. His ceiling definitely isn’t the highest, but his versatility is something that will be noticed right away by the staff and the fans when he hits the field next year on the Forty Acres.

At St. John Bosco, Moore was used in multiple ways, most notably as a playmaker after the catch on the boundary and in the short passing game out of the slot.

The way that Moore was utilized in the passing game is a symbol of how he is best served as a threat after the catch. Get the ball in his hands, and Moore is going to make defenders miss in space. Moore just has these burners that he can turn on after the catch. He’s got great field vision once the ball is in his hands, which turns into chunk-yardage plays thanks to his acceleration after the catch.

For this reason, among many others, he is a great fit for Sark’s offense.

But the fact that Moore can go still stand out on the boundary while being able to motion around and pose a threat out of the slot or in the deep passing game is a testament to his true versatility. Moore’s film is littered with different highlights of him going up to get those contested 50/50 balls, burning defenders in the screen game, and juking defenders in the open field after getting the ball five or 10 yards in front of the line of scrimmage.

That type of versatility is something that is a dream in Sark’s offense. He can move Moore all around to throw off opposing defenses pre-snap to create open space for his playmakers.

Something that adds to the value that Moore brings to the table in this offense is his insane route-running ability. People often sleep on Moore’s technical ability as a route runner since he is often categorized as a run-after-the-catch threat.

As you can see in the clip above, it is a dire mistake to assume that Moore can’t burn opposing DBs with his quickness in route running.

https://twitter.com/HornsUpAB/status/1606116748595339264

While the wide variety of ways that Moore can be a true playmaker for this offense means he can be slotted in multiple different wideout spots in this offense, he looks to project best as a slot receiver. If redshirt junior slot receiver Jordan Whittington returns to college next year, Moore can learn under him for one year.

And then, we could see Moore take over the starting duties out of the slot in 2024.

Moore is going to be one of these fun playmakers that can go off for a big play at any point.

All in all, Moore is a good fit for this offense. He can be a playmaker as soon as his second year in college, assuming that Whittington returns to the 40 in 2023.

Texas now holds 23 signees in the 2023 class as of the night of Dec. 22. According to the 247Sports Team Composite Rankings, the 2023 Texas recruiting class now ranks at No. 3 in the nation and in the top spot in the Big 12 ahead of the Oklahoma Sooners.